Connecticut ready for "Obamacare"

Bill Cummings

Published 10:27 pm, Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Connecticut doesn't have to worry about meeting next month's deadline to tell the federal government whether it will participate in the Affordable Care Act -- the state is already implementing "Obamacare."

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly have created a cabinet level department to oversee the law and the state has staffed the Connecticut Health Care Exchange, which will create a new online marketplace where those without health insurance can purchase affordable policies.

The state has received a $107 million federal grant to help implement the law and some provisions, such as allowing 26 year olds to stay on their parents plan, are already in place.

"We are pretty well along," said Andrew Doba, a spokesman for Gov. Malloy. "The exchange is the marketplace and this is how we will extend insurance to people who don't have it."

About 11 percent of Connecticut residents, or 380,000 people, do not have health insurance. More than 30 million uninsured people in the United States are expected to gain health coverage under the law.

Although some states have resisted the new law, President Obama's re-election solidified the Affordable Care Act and signaled that it will be fully implemented.

"With the (presidential) election over, it's really like the start gun went off," said Peter Harbage, president of Harbage Consulting, who has advised Democratic and Republican leaders at federal, state and local levels on health policy issues. "The election removed a really significant hurdle, the uncertainty of whether or not we're moving forward."

By Dec 16, all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, must let the Obama administration know whether they plan to set up their own insurance exchanges, a key element of the Affordable Care Act, or let the federal government do it for them.

The Affordable Care Act mandates that everyone purchase health insurance, either through the private market or the new insurance exchanges. Patients with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage and there will be no lifetime limit on coverage.

Those who already receive insurance through an employer will see no change.

The insurance exchanges must be ready to enroll people by Oct. 1, 2013, in time for coverage to begin Jan. 1, 2014. States have until Dec. 14 to submit detailed blueprints on how they plan to create exchanges to help an estimated 12 million people get health coverage starting in 2014.

Neighboring states like New York have been implementing the law for more than a year and California has major portions in place. But other states balked, hoping the law would be overturned by a new Republican president or the U.S. Supreme Court, which earlier this year upheld the law but allowed states to decline to expand their Medicaid programs.

So far, a handful of Republican governors -- including those in Florida, Texas and Mississippi -- have said they will not expand Medicaid.

State Rep. Betsy Ritter, D-Waterford and co-chairwoman of the Legislature's Public Health Committee, said Connecticut is among of a handful of states well on the way to implementing the Affordable Care Act.

"It's my understanding we informed (the federal government) a month ago that we will be in full compliance. We are way ahead of the pack," Ritter said.

Ritter said it's too soon to judge if health insurance purchased through the exchanges will be truly affordable, pointing out the federal government is still establishing rules.

"It brings a more competitive marketplace and that minimum benefit will be there. Whether that brings prices down, remains to be seen. But it can't be any worse than what we have now," Ritter said.

"We are on track. We are not ahead or behind schedule. We are on schedule," Counihan said. "This is a three year project being done in 10 months. We are doing full integration, with Medicaid."

Counihan said for those who qualify for subsidies, which includes a family of four making $92,000 a year, the exchange will offer significant savings. The hope is prices across the insurance market will also drop as buyers make use of exchange system.

He said states were facing a Friday deadline to tell the Obama administration if they planned to create their own exchanges but that deadline was extended after Obama's reelection and state officials resisting "Obamacare" realized the law is here to stay.